The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has released its report into a fatal accident involving a train passenger at Twerton back in December 2018.
At 22:04, on Saturday 1st December 2018, a passenger was leaning out of a train window when her head came into contact with a tree on the lineside near Twerton, a suburb of Bath.
The passenger suffered fatal injuries onboard the GWR service from London Paddington to Exeter St Davids, which was travelling around 75mph at the time./
On the type of coach on this train, opening windows are provided to allow passengers to reach through and operate the external door handles. This is the only means by which passengers can open the train doors. However, other than warning signs, there is nothing to prevent passengers from opening and leaning out of such windows when trains are away from stations and moving.
A possible underlying factor was that Great Western Railway‘s risk assessment process had not historically identified the risk of passengers.
The RAIB has made four recommendations and identified two learning points.
One recommendation is addressed to operators of mainline passenger trains, including charter operators, and seeks to minimise the likelihood of passengers leaning out of droplight windows when a train is away from stations. A second recommendation is addressed to operators of heritage railways and seeks to improve their management of the risks associated with passengers leaning out vehicles.
The third recommendation is addressed to Great Western Railway and seeks to reduce the potential for hazards associated with its operations being overlooked.
The fourth recommendation is addressed to RSSB and seeks to ensure that its advice on emergency and safety signs reflects the level of risk associated with the hazard being mitigated.
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